The opening day of the Japanese Grand Prix saw Ducati rider Enea Bastianini claim an encouraging fifth place, securing his direct passage into Q2. However, it was not an easy day for the Rimini native, who had to overcome several obstacles before finding his rhythm. Despite a fall mid-session, the "Beast" was able to pull himself together to end on a positive note.
« It was a rather complex day. ", said bastianini at the end tests. " In the beginning, I suffered a little. I couldn't go fast in the morning and in the afternoon, the situation was similar. »
The Italian driver had to adjust the settings of his Desmosedici GP24 to find better sensations, which paid off, but not without incident. We changed the settings, which helped me, but then i fell.
Enea Bastianini: “ my foot got stuck while i was trying to shift into second gear »
He explains his mishap as follows: "My foot got stuck while I was trying to shift into second gear, and I accidentally put the fourth one on, which caused a loss of the front »
Despite this fall, bastianini did not give up and quickly refocused on his performance with a view to a saving timed lap, the key to direct entry into Q2: "after this fall, I focused on attacking the clock. I used the first tire to get some good feeling, then I pushed at the end of the session, managing to get a good time. It was important to finish in Q2, but for now my pace is not yet among the best »
bastianini hopes to improve his pace for the next sessions, keeping an eye on his direct competitors. With this fifth place in his pocket, he is ready to face the rest of the weekend with determination.
30 minutes in, 30 minutes to turn things around ⌛️@ Bestia23 hit the deck at T13 halfway through Practice but managed to rescue P5 at the end 💥✊ #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/0pMa89XZD5
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) October 4, 2024
No time to waste! 🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️@ Bestia23 was in a hurry after crashing in Practice! 👀#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/lokFVzlE1b
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) October 4, 2024
MotoGP, Japan D1, : chronos